Brilliant thread!
Great observations John. And great input from all here. I especially appreciated Wake Me's insights.
Yes, for Jehovah's Witnesses, FOG is very much in play : Fear Obligation Guilt
Would love to see your finished work John!
i want to suggest something that i've been ruminating on for a while now.
that involves the possibility that when jehovah's witnesses look for "sheep-like ones" what they're actually looking for is this: those who will allow themselves to be dominated (get rid of things that god "hates," accept the movement's beliefs without protest, not check into the movement's history) and those who are willing to be shamed (letting jehovah's witnesses into their homes when doing so is looked down upon in secular society, talking with them on the street when everyone else avoids them).. i say this because from what i observed at the kingdom halls i attended in the course of gathering data for my research i saw:.
-frequent shaming: jehovah's witnesses must do more to be acceptable to god, they are "good for nothing slaves," they are spared through armageddon by jehovah's "undeserved kindness," etc.
Brilliant thread!
Great observations John. And great input from all here. I especially appreciated Wake Me's insights.
Yes, for Jehovah's Witnesses, FOG is very much in play : Fear Obligation Guilt
Would love to see your finished work John!
looking back on my two decades as a jehovah’s witness, i’ve come to realize how the constant theme of endurance is playing a detrimental role on the individual's psyche.. jehovah’s witnesses have become far too good at keeping going.
they’re experts at surrendering to the demands of the watchtower, living up to what’s expected of them, and getting on with the priorities that those in power have defined and imposed upon them.
they keep showing up, presenting themselves a dutiful pioneer or ministerial servant.
Another absolutely brilliant post Wake Me!
Such accurate reasoning, and observations.
Thank you for sharing!
well guys, after a spiritually encouraging convention, i’ve decided to return my heart back to jehovah.
i realize i was just being too negative and i need to adjust my attitude.
just kidding suckers.
Well done for putting up with the propaganda and indoctrination.
I hope it is not too long before you can branch out and live your own life - free of FOG (fear obligation guilt)
as a contractor i travel around for my job, i was stopped this morning to buy some milk at a store in a small village i guess and as i turned a corner i saw 2 elders i know personally manning a cart in the cold outside the store with not a soul in sight and an unlikely place for much traffic even though it was outside a country store.
1 elder is my brother in laws father and the other was in my old cong when i left, i said hello, talked about the weather and general chit chat and was my usual self, they were pleasant also but nothing was mentioned to me about anything spiritual etc.
i know they will be aware of some of my reasons for leaving (the few that i talked about initially before shutting my trap) but they were unwilling to engage in saving my life with their work!
Wow! They were polite to you in public?
Maybe they can teach the ones near me to be the same? My local cart workers are seething with hatred when I try and politely say hi and offer them a coffee!
i don't know which version of gb we are on.
(also unknown, which "old light" doctrines they changed to conveniently fortify their own position, when i was at gilead in 2005, i called them 2.0 because the last of the old guard was dying off.. for those associated with "ancient" history, windows started to come in their own with 3.0 and 3.1 in the early 1990s.
that is, until windows 95 happened, and the ubiquitous start button was first introduced.
How about GB Vista - Because they are always crashing and are full of viruses?
today, july 1, i wrote what has become my annual contact with my parents.
it is their 51st wedding anniversary.
i e-mail them from across the world where i now live to let them know that i haven't forgotten them, i still love them, and that i'm doing okay.
Thanks for sharing this post.
Im so sorry that those members of your family lose out on the privilege of a relationship with you. It is their loss I'm sure.
Take care my friend.
the following are some notes from my recent level iii child safeguarding training.
i have tabulated the notes and then expressed my thoughts about the training and the paradigm of the wtbts / christian congregation of jehovah's witnesses...... .
course notes....... steps to take when one learns of / receives a complaint of child abuse.. uk level iii child safeguarding training (excerpt).. .
Brilliant thread!
hi folks, i’m attending the london protest at the excel convention in august and am making some banners.
i’m aiming for short but memorable sentences that will stick in jws minds and also make them laugh a little at their own organisation.. my best so far is ‘this is not a protest, it’s an overlapping protest’.
has anyone got any ideas for more?.
Sorry. I tried to post a pic of the old sandwich board protests. It didn't upload.
Just google images "religion is a snare and a racket". Copy their exact method of protesting!
hi folks, i’m attending the london protest at the excel convention in august and am making some banners.
i’m aiming for short but memorable sentences that will stick in jws minds and also make them laugh a little at their own organisation.. my best so far is ‘this is not a protest, it’s an overlapping protest’.
has anyone got any ideas for more?.
" Is TRUTH and HONESTY important to you? "
" Research, Research Research the organisation and its message "
" Advertise Advertise Advertise, the FACTS of the TRUTH "
" JW.ORG is a Snare and a Racket ". (Walk around wearing sandwich board signs)
hi folks, i’m attending the london protest at the excel convention in august and am making some banners.
i’m aiming for short but memorable sentences that will stick in jws minds and also make them laugh a little at their own organisation.. my best so far is ‘this is not a protest, it’s an overlapping protest’.
has anyone got any ideas for more?.
" Do you know the REAL origins of your faith? "